STEM Career Awareness: the Connection Between Learning and Work

The question, ‘What do you want as a future career when you’re older?’ is probably one of the most stressful questions any young adult is asked. With the quick transition through high school to Junior and Senior status, students have added pressure to figure out their future career plans.

What is career awareness and why is it important?

As the labor and skills gap continues to grow, so does the lack of awareness for careers available to young adults. Because career awareness is a crucial step, students need help in developing their interests as it is important to provide information and resources to early career awareness opportunities. “In order to empower students to become career ready, businesses and the community must invest in career awareness programs to provide younger students with exposure to jobs that align with their interests and aptitudes” (BizTimes, 2019).

What GPSEd does to help?

So, how do students battle the uncertainty of their future career along with the continuous growth of the labor and skills gap? Well, thanks to organizations like GPS Education Partners (GPSEd), students have the ability to explore well-paying technical careers while keeping them motivated through Youth Apprenticeship and Work-based Learning programs. These programs encourage students to graduate high school with the skills and experiences needed to find their purpose in life and create a sustainable future (GPSEd, 2019).

Specifics of Career Awareness

However, building career awareness does not just involve students. It is a team effort made by business partners, education partners, community partners, students, and organizations, such as GPSEd, to tie hands on learning, real world applications and work-based learning together to create success OR successful futures.

To learn more about how GPSEd works together with business partners and schools to help bring career awareness to young students, take a look at what Caleb, one of GPSEd’s 2019 alumni students and what he has to say after being hired by Menasha Corporation! See how Caleb talks about how he found “Menasha Corp., this great job, and a potential future” through GPSEd.